Historic traditions at the famous oval
Have you ever been so close to a destination you could almost see it but just couldn’t seem to get there? Indianapolis has some areas around town where city planners thought the idea of one-way roads made sense. It’s always entertaining to see a vehicle with out-of-state plates turning onto a one-way road and the subsequent look of terror in the eyes of the driver when they realize their predicament.
This past weekend, all roads led to Speedway, Ind., as hundreds of thousands of race fans from all over the world journeyed here to experience the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Now that’s a tradition that’s hard to top! The folks over on West 16th Street are also getting ready to launch what many motorcycle enthusiasts hope will become another longstanding tradition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS); the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, Sept. 14, 2008.
Weeks of planning went into every movement of the day to execute a very special demonstration to give the fans attending “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” a chance to experience a MotoGP bike first hand.
2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden made a couple laps of the IMS oval before the start of the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500. I didn’t personally experience this special demonstration, but from the brief glimpses during t
he televised pre-race activities, it appeared Nicky was having no problem finding his way around this one-way road just off of West 16th Street.
Here’s a shot from IMS photographer Brad Love of Nicky Hayden making his way around the famous oval. Also, check out IMS media correspondent Pat Sullivan’s interview with Nicky after his historic demonstration lap at redbullingindianapolisgp.com.
See you all next week as we continue our countdown to September on redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Time for a major speed week in Indy
Bump Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has now come and gone. The weather gods gave the track two beautiful spring-like days for the final weekend of qualifying, setting the field for the running of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25. The following day, the entire starting field then celebrated with a trip to the Big Apple, New York City, for a media blitz and museum tour. Monday morning, every weather forecaster in the Indianapolis area was, of course, taking credit for delivering the perfect weekend of weather.
For me, a perfect weekend of weather translated into two full days in the saddle of several of my favorite sport bikes. Saturday started off with a cruise on the Ducati 999 R Xerox up to Ducati Indianapolis for an espresso and a preview of the new Ducati Monster 696. Hey Jarrod, if you’re looking for a middleweight addition to your stable, this looks to be one awesome bike for your ride. After a second pastry and another espresso shot, I joined several of my riding buddies and Bill Carr, owner of Ducati Indianapolis, for a monster lunch at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. Now that’s a hamburger to experience!
A quick run up to Westfield to check out some new Yamaha motard bikes was followed by a trip down to West 16th Street to check out the newest addition to the Indianapolis bike scene. R. Falcone Motorsports has created a showroom glistening in German modern functionalist style with the recent opening of the BMW Motorcycles of Indianapolis dealership. The BMW guys have already experienced Jarrod last week, and they can now add Greg, Mike and Craig to their lounge list.
No day of cruising local motorcycle dealerships is complete without a trip around the Soldiers and Sailors monument in downtown Indianapolis, and no lap of the circle is complete without a stop at The South Bend Chocolate Company for a scoop of tasty ice cream in a chocolate dipped waffle cone with not one but two chocolate malt balls in the bottom of the cone. Now that’s a treat to experience!
A trip down to the old Greenwood Dog & Suds is always a must-do experience on a lazy sunny Saturday afternoon. Given this day had already been dedicated to cruising and gastronomic treats, the Dog & Suds is a cruisers nirvana of automotive classics; both the cars and their owners.
Sunday morning broke crisp and clear with the monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Honda Sport Touring Association (HSTA) on the agenda. Not to break company with my riding buddies from Saturday, I jumped on the Ducati 1098 S Tricolore and joined them for the ride down to Story, Indiana, for the HSTA meeting at the Story Inn. Guess what we did; more good food and sharing experiences with great friends.
After “The Meeting,” my riding buddies headed for the dual-sport roads with their dual-sport bikes, and I joined several other sport bike-mounted HSTA members for a responsibly spirited ride through the paved twisties of Brown County to wrap up the perfect weekend.
Well, all good things have to come to an end; MONDAYS. The 33 members of the Indianapolis 500 class of 2008 experienced a perfect weekend followed by the sites, sounds and epicurean treats of The Big Apple while I dined my way from Zionsville to Story, Indiana, and back.
Be sure to catch the pre-race activities this coming Sunday morning, May 25. A very special preview event is on tap for around 11 a.m. as 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden laps the legendary oval on a Honda RC212V MotoGP bike. That should be a very special event to experience.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
How to beat the GAS man!
Finally, a full week of beautiful weather in central Indiana. I was able to park the H3 Hummer for most of the week and make the daily commute with two wheels. It’s still pretty amazing to spend over $10 to fill the tank of a motorcycle, but that really beats the $75 it takes to feed the Hummer its full meal. Starting a typical workday off with a ride definitely gets you in a great state of mind. About the time the joy of the morning ride is starting to wear off, you start thinking of a good, winding route back home for the evening commute. Wow, am I glad the dreariness of winter is finally gone away.
This past weekend a local motorcycle accessory dealer, Adam’s Biker Outlet, hosted an open house at their store in Carmel, Ind. The Brickyard marketing team had asked if I could bring my Honda CBR1000RR Repsol up to Adam’s for this open house event. Sure, what a great way to spend what turned out to be a glorious day of sunshine, good cooking, great music and new friends. If you ever what to get your motorcycle detailed, I can highly recommend Adam’s detailing team. This customer was very satisfied with his motorcycle detail experience! 
I ended up bringing the Honda Repsol Nicky Hayden replica bike and a new ’08 Yamaha YZF R1 Fiat M1 replica I’ve recently added to the stable. I figured what better way to represent this September’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP front grid than putting two former MotoGP world champions, Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden, together at Adam’s open house event.
Not to be shown up, Mel Harder from the Brickyard popped in with a very appropriate vehicle to pace this fast crowd, the 2008 Corvette that will be pacing this year’s Indianapolis 500 in May. Now that was quite the display of both two-wheel and four-wheel sports vehicles for Adam’s guests to enjoy.
Well, it’s now the start of another week. The dreary weather is back with both rain and frost. I’m back to the four-wheel commute, wondering once again if spring is ever going to stay around for a while and if the Hummer still likes the GAS man.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
A photographic history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in Nicky Hayden’s first historic motorcycle lap of the new road course at the Brickyard. After all the morning activities, a small group of enthusiasts was treated to a couple hours of watching Nicky make evaluation laps of the new course on a Honda CBR 1000RR for the IMS Facilities group.
While watching Nicky from the new Turn 4 near the south entrance, I met Dave Hilberry, the curator of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum photographic archives. Dave was shooting photos of Nicky’s first Brickyard experience, two of which I featured in my April 8 blog entry.
Over the next couple hours, I was treated to an outstanding review of many of the historic events at the Brickyard that are captured on film and preserved in the photographic archives at the museum. Dave has been a lifelong resident of Speedway, Ind., and has been a longtime part of IMS’ ongoing efforts to maintain and document the history of motorsports.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum offers a constantly changing display of motorsports history over the past 100 years. A visit to the Museum is a must-see during any trip to the Brickyard to see and experience the historic elements of the collection.
The photographic archives are located on the second floor of the Museum, and that area is easily missed if you are unaware of it. Just ask any of the always-friendly Museum staff at the information counter, and they will direct you up to Dave Hilberry’s area. Be prepared for a very informative journey into the history of the Brickyard. Chances are you will find a photo of one of your past Brickyard experiences to take home with you.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com .
Greg
Not all Mondays are blue
After all my confessions last week about my fair-weather riding tendencies, central Indiana was finally blessed with a beautiful spring weekend. The mornings were still crisp, but that ideal 50-degree point was quickly surpassed, giving forth to a couple ideal spring riding days.
After such a glorious weekend, Mondays can really be a major drag, especially when the forecast is a continuation of the first bright spring weekend of the season.
Not so on this particular Monday!
April 7, 2008 marked the first major track event of the upcoming Red Bull Indianapolis GP with the first motorcycle laps on the new 2.620-mile, 16-turn road course at the Brickyard. Nicky Hayden, the 2006 MotoGP world champion from Owensboro, Ky., piloted a recently restored bright red 1908 Indian around the new course, complete with vintage racing regalia, at a blistering speed of 45 mph. This amazing piece of racing machinery made its first laps around the original Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Aug. 14, 1909. Check it out here.
Shortly after this first historic lap, Nicky jumped into a telephone booth and emerged 100 years later in modern day motorcycle racing gear, trading the 1908 Indian for a 2008 Honda CBR1000RR roadracing machine sporting special livery for this event. The ensuing laps were a bit quicker on this World Superbike spec machine. Nicky put on a spectacular show for hundreds of enthusiasts who gathered around the south end of the facility by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
After Nicky’s series of hot laps around the new course, a small group of guests were afforded the opportunity to experience their own lap of the new Brickyard road course. Since red seemed to be the color of the day, my ’06 Ducati 999R Xerox seemed the logical choice for my first lap of the new course. Jarrod, my co-blogger here at redbullindianapolisgp.com, myself and 30 or so other lucky guests took a leisurely lap behind a pair of our city’s finest from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department motorcycle division.
Unfortunately, all good dreams have to come to an end, and now Tuesday feels more like Monday. But oh, what an experience to remember.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
When only the best will do …
A Kentucky tradition since 1963, the Moonlite Bar-B-Q in Owensboro, Ky., has been voted the Best Barbecue in Kentucky by Kentucky Monthly and Kentucky Living readers. Now ask anybody from Kansas City or Dallas or maybe Memphis, and they will all solidly refute that claim, boldly claiming their local barbecue to be the finest in all the land!
Where am I going with all of this? Another fine Kentucky tradition is Earl’s Racing Team in Owensboro, Ky. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the home of Earl’s Racing Team with Mel Harder from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Hayden’s had graciously agreed to loan a very special motorcycle to the IMS to exhibit in their booth at the Dealer News Powersports Expo in Indianapolis.
On a brisk but sunny Sunday morning, Mel and I drove down to the “OWB” to meet up with Earl Hayden at the family compound. Nestled in the back of garage complex was a Hayden racing fan’s NIRVANA of racing memorabilia! Proudly sitting next to a collection of Nicky, Tommy and Roger Lee championship motorcycles, leathers, helmets and trophies was the 2006 Honda RC211V motorcycle that carried Nicky over the finish line at the Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana in Valencia, Spain, in November 2006, winning the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.
Earl Hayden is one proud father, and we spent the better part of an hour talking about all his kids’ accomplishments and touring the Earl’s Racing Team compound before loading up Nicky’s 2006 MotoGP championship motorcycle in the trailer for the trip back to Indianapolis.
Now back to the Moonlite Bar-B-Q. If you’re ever in the “OWB” and have the chance to ask Earl Hayden where a good place is for lunch, you better be ready to experience the Best Barbecue in Kentucky, if not the best in the land! And, oh by the way, it is just across the street from the Hayden family compound, ready to serve an outstanding gastronomic experience in the finest Kentucky tradition.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Gathering Before the Green Flag
Just in case you didn’t know, racing in Indiana is serious business! We Hoosiers take our racing seriously, and our passion for motorsports is historic. This was evident the weekend of Jan. 19-20, 2008 as the Indiana State Museum in the White River State Park located in Indianapolis opened its doors to the Indiana racing community to help kick off the 2008 racing season.
The “Racing in Indiana: Gathering Before the Green Flag” was a great opportunity to bring all forms of racing in Indiana together for the local community to share and experience.
Here’s an excerpt from the Indiana State Museum’s press release: (click here to see it all)
Hosted by Mike King, chief announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, “Gathering Before the Green Flag” invites fans to sit behind the wheel of a variety of racing vehicles, from IndyCars to go-karts and dragsters, and see other great racing vehicles such as motorcycles, boats and vintage race cars. They’ll meet racing insiders Derek Daly, Donald Davidson and some of their favorite drivers, and be able to take part in a rare symposium of experts.
“It’s every race fan’s dream and an opportunity for newcomers to see what racing is all about,” said Mike King of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. “Hoosiers are the greatest racing fans in the world, so holding this event at the Indiana State Museum is very fitting, especially since the IMAX® is here.”
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway brings a century of racing history to the Hoosier experience. It was only fitting for the IMS exhibit to highlight the upcoming celebration of this historic milestone with the running of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP in September 2008. Since this time of the year in central Indiana is not ideal riding weather, my Honda CBR1000RR Repsol was enlisted out of winter hibernation for show duty in the museum gallery for the weekend.
Wow, for a couple days, I was able to share a little bit of my experience with the local community for the “Racing in Indiana: Gathering Before the Green Flag” celebration of speed.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Red Bull Indianapolis GP Media Day
Well, the big day finally came. On Monday, July 16, 2007, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway rolled out the red carpets to the world, announcing the big event to be held on Sept. 14, 2008. The Red Bull Indianapolis GP.
Ralph Sheheen shared with the crowd gathered at the Speedway, to the surprise of many, that the first motorized race of any kind here at the world’s most famous racetrack took place on Aug. 14, 1909, and it was a motorcycle race.
The day’s events actually started earlier with a gathering of over 200 motorcycle enthusiats behind the Murat Centre in downtown Indianapolis. Kenny Roberts Jr. joined the group on a Honda CBR1000RR borrowed from Dreyer Honda. I offered KR Jr. to trade bikes and ride the Hayden Repsol replica. He declined!
It was an awesome, police-escorted ride led by Kenny Roberts Jr. from downtown Indy out to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with everyone corralling into the Tower Terrace area for the big announcement.
Mr. Sheheen then started the press conference, which led into the showing of the video taken at the track earlier in the month, the experience I shared with you all last week.
The highlight of the day had to be the signing of the agreement by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George to bring MotoGP to Indianapolis.
After the world experiences an Indianapolis Motor Speedway event, this will be just the beginning of a new tradition for the second century of IMS’s history.
Wow, what a day, what a moment, what an experience!
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com
Greg
Do you wanna be in the movies?
Welcome back to week two of “The Experience.” Last week I mentioned how I became involved with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the upcoming Red Bull Indianapolis GP.
Actually, this goes back to a very special day in November 2006 at the MotoGP finale at The Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana in Valencia, Spain. The 2006 MotoGP championship had come done to this final event. After having lost his lead in points with a series of mishaps late in the season, Nicky Hayden had to finish well ahead of Yamaha’s multi-time champion, Valentino Rossi, to secure his first world championship. The day ended up being his, and Nicky Hayden left Spain that weekend with the 2006 MotoGP world championship in his possession!
Three weeks later, Honda contacted each of their North American dealers, announcing the release of a 2007 CBR1000RR Repsol replica motorcycle in celebration of “The Kentucky Kid’s” world championship. My good friends at Dreyer Honda South accepted their allocation of one unit and immediately gave me a call with the news. Wow, what was I to do? I had to have it as it represented the pinnacle of the dreams of a young, 10-year-old racer I held up in the pits at Indianapolis Raceway Park over a decade ago.
Let’s flash forward to the spring of 2007. After a long, cold Indiana winter, the Repsol replica showed up just as the weather was starting to break. In the meantime, I had acquired a set of replica Repsol race leathers as well as Nicky’s Arai replica helmet from his 2005 victory at the Laguna Seca MotoGP in Monterey, Calif. Are you starting to get the picture? I am a serious Nicky Hayden fan!
Well, anyway, the rumor mill had been brewing pretty long about a possible event coming to Indianapolis when I got a voice mail from somebody at IMS. Again, I’ve got to thank my great friends at Dreyer Motorsports for passing on to the IMS staff member their knowledge of a serious Nicky Hayden fan on the south side with just the motorcycle they were seeking for their media program for an event yet to be confirmed.
Lights, camera, ACTION!
My day on the stage finally came the first of July. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny summer day with the temps in the low 90’s! Not bad if you’re on a beach, but how about on the front straight of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in full race leathers with most of the five hours “posing” for the cameras! Indy 500 veteran Stephan Gregoire, the old guy in the video, was clad in 1910 vintage leathers on a very cantankerous old machine for an equally long period of time.
Well, the final product of my experience that day is the Red Bull Indianapolis GP Event Introduction video that opened the official media event on July 16, 2007. Since then, many others have experienced this little piece of my experience as we continue our countdown to Sept. 14, 2008.
See you all next week on redbullindianapolisgp.com.
Greg
Introduction
Hello all, and welcome to my first installment for the redbullindianapolisgp.com blog. Actually this is my first-ever blog, so this should be a lot of fun in the months to come, sharing my activities leading up to the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP.
My name is Greg Sickmeier, and I am a lifelong resident of the Indianapolis area. In fact, I spent my first six weeks in this world across Georgetown Road from the front straight of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a long, long time ago. Maybe this explains my love of racing and my need for speed!
A bit about me: I am a graduate engineer from General Motors Institute in Flint, Mich., now known as Kettering University. I’ve worked for Allison Transmission, another Speedway company, for 33 years in the service, sales, marketing and training organizations. James Allison, our company’s founder, is also one of the founders of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1908. I just can’t seem to get to far from my roots on Georgetown Road!
During the early 1980s, I raced a Honda CB750F in AMA Pro Superbike and ran a lot of WERA and CCS events during a 12-year time period. At a few of the later events I attended, the Hayden’s were showing up, with Tommy, Nicky and Roger Lee in tow. They were on 125’s, and the youngest ones couldn’t even reach the ground. Someone had to hold the bikes up to get them started and catch them in the pits when they came back in. Earl’s Race Team was a very shoestring operation, with Earl’s old Ford box van packed to the ceiling. Wow, who would have known that all three of the boys would have turned into such great riders and sportsmen!
Another midlife crisis
I drifted away from motorcycles for a few years and have played a lot of ice hockey over the past 14 years or so. A couple years ago, I bought another street bike, and now this impulse purchase has turned into another serious midlife crisis! Four Honda’s, three Yamaha’s and two Ducati’s later in the past three years, I am thoroughly enjoying this second go-around with the motorcycles and the local sport bike scene.
Do you wanna be in the movies?
My involvement with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP started last summer with a phone call from a senior IMS staff member about borrowing my ’07 Honda CBR1000RR Repsol replica motorcycle for a promotional event. Boy, was I excited when I found out what was in the works! That photo shoot turned into a full-blown video session on the “Yard of Bricks” at the track. Yup, that’s me in the Red Bull Indianapolis GP Event Introduction video on the Repsol with Stephan Gregoire on the 1910 Thor. Check it out!
In future installments, I’ll share some more on that experience, along with many other experiences since then and many more experiences to come as we all count down to the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Sept. 14, 2008.
I hope you all stay tuned each week here on redbullindianapolisgp.com for “The Experience.”
Greg